Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere accounts for a large proportion of the “enhanced greenhouse effect.” Carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere are increasing, due at least in part to the burning of fossil fuels. The increasing level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is a significant contributor to climate change.
The process of mining a diamond typically requires the burning of large quantities of fossil fuels and therefore the release of large volumes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. In particular, fossil-fuel-powered vehicles are used to transport the rock in which diamonds are found in a mine to the surface and then to a factory for processing. Very little diamond by weight or volume is found in the rock by comparison to the overall weight or volume of the rock, and the diamond that is yielded from the rock must be further cut and polished to produce a gem. Thus, the vehicles must carry a significant amount of weight and volume of rock to the factory in comparison to the finished gem which is yielded after processing at the factory. The processing of the rock at the factory is also typically energy-intensive, since the rock has to be crushed to release the diamonds. The burning of fossil fuels in mining, transporting and processing diamonds therefore releases an appreciable volume of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. For example, the Ekati mine in Canada releases 65 kg (143 lb) of carbon dioxide per carat. (BHP Billiton 2008: Ekati mine emissions 195,179 metric tons of CO2 equivalent, production 3,000,000 carats of rough diamonds.)
An object of one or more embodiments is to address one or more of these problems.